The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-18
A BOOM FOR coNKLING.


A BOOM FOR CoNKLING.
He Is Said To Be the Only Man Who Can
Garry New York Against Cleveland.
New York Special in Boston Advertiser
Would it not be queer if the next President OF
the United States were to be Roscoe Conkling7
Now, suppose we consider the matter little.
We are at the threshold of another presidential
campaign. and who. pray. is New York's favor
tie sonf New York must h ave one; they all do
Now who is hea Maine has Blaine, Massachusetts,
has You know best, Vermont has Edmunds.
Connecticut has Hawley. Ohio has Sherman.
Indiana mas Harrison, Illinois has Cullom, Iowa
has Allison. and so ONT Who has New York;
The State has not been a loss in the past;
once. perhaps, You remember, she had Roscoe
Conklinc. But the great prize fell to Ohio that
time. ard our hero disdained second place. and
threw it over his shoulder to Mr. Wheeler.
Then, four years afterward, New Z ork adopted
General Grant, and Mr.. Conkling waived his
claims in his hero's favor. But the champion
was not more lucky than the candidate. Again
the prize went to Ohio. and largely owing, too,
the treason of Blaine's New York lieutenant.
Judge Robertson. who dared to violate the unit
rule" Again. in contempt, the lord
~ Conkling tossed the vice-presi-
dencv to one of his aids, a shrewd city
politician named Arthur But 10. IN that strange
whirlieig of time. at the next convention this
same Arthur had become the favorite SON. and
Mr.. Conkiing was practicing law in New York
city. out of politics and scornfully indifferent to
them.
He is tout of politics yet; but will he stay out
much loneerl Is the time ripe for the re-entry1
Mr.. Conklng is IN the prime of intellectual life.
He expects to live twenty thirty years longer
and to be President of the United States before
he dies. Shall he make the fight now, wait
another four, eight, or twelve years?
That depends circumstances. and let
what the situation IS. Grant is dead, Arthur Is
dead. Logan is dead Edmunds is not available.
Blaine has had his chance. It is question if he
will run again, especially now that New York
has settled back solidly in the Democratic
column. There remains Sherman. of whose
ator Allison and various dark horses" whom we
would not deigE to recognize as rivals.
So much for the field in general as to the
State the position is still more favorable. What
the Republican party is looking for is can
didate who beat Grover Cleveland in the
United States by beating hin in New York
State. Who is that mani It would take bold
partisan to answer Blaine, after Tuesdays
election. And unless Blaine carry New
York State against Cleveland he is unavailable.
And SO the cry goes up who IS New York's Re-
publican favorite son to pit against her Demo
cratic peta Has she any, must we again be
willing to make the battle under outside leadersa
Our two Senators Evarts and Hiscock.
Neither of them would have the ghost of
chancefagalnst Cleveland. Neither of them would
run as well as Blaine. Levi P. Morton is
impossibiity, though he might have been
President instead of Arthur had he asked Conk-
ling for the second place on the ticket in 1880.
Depsw is very strong and popular. but his bust
mesa connections would be fatal. Who Is leftl
Nobody but dark horses and accidents, and
these we are not regarding
But all this IS negative; what positive strength
has Conkling? Did he not commit political sui
eide number of years ago2 Yes. he did; but it
is the commonest thing in the world for political
suicide to come to life again. To go further
away take our corpse's partner in har.kari
ssMe Too" Platt he has come to life again with
a vengeance. Six years ago driven out of pub
lie life with screams of laughter and supposed to
be forever obliterated, and to-day the s'boss" of
the party in the State; very conveniens per
son, it may be noticed. to have boss in case
Mr.. Conkling cares to blossom out again as a ia
vorite
Putting aside, then, the question of suicide as
immaterial. what are Mr.. Conklings elements
of strength2 First and foremost Mr. Conkhng
himself-that strange, forbidding, commanding
personality which is and will remain one Of the
eniemas of our times Statesmen said he
no statesmen. and yet so long as he was in pub
lie life one lad greater power. Lawyers say
he is no lawyer, and yet in six years, beginning
with nothing. he has got the finest practice in
New York. Arrogant. bitter, vindictive quar-
relsome-what is the charm to such a character
which wins not admiration simply, but homage
and devotion?
Well, one explanation of the riddle is that
Conkng is genuine and true He is too proud
to be false Then his mental gifts are imperial
and he isn't afraid of man or devil. He would
make great President. His administration
would be brilliant, patriotic and clean But
wouldnt envy his Cabinet officers; he would
make them black his boots. And he would
drive Congress and society and the people crazy
by his tyranny. and yet he would be reelected.
If Blaine decides to try the again it isn't at
all likely that Conkling will modest him. But
if that element is eliminated it would not be
surprising if Roscoe Conkling were to be taken
up by the party, pushed for the nomina tion,
chosen by the convention and elected by tho
people. One of the most omlnous signs
to the contrary is that Judge Rob-
ertson, after Lying in COIL" as the JAP
anese say, for three or four years, has
suddenly reappeared in State politics by getting
himself sent back to his old vantage ground il
the State Senate just as another presidential
canvas opens. This fact BODIES a possible Conk-
ling boom good. Only the other day Judge
Robertson remarked to a friend, who repeated
the observation to me, that Con king could never
be nominated. He will be- certainly, IL
the relentless Blaine leader can help it, though
sometimes politicians stanch and stub
great light. It is also said that Conkling has
broken with Plart, but of that would not be
too sure. Of course. just now BOSS" Platt is an
ardent Blaine man. but whom would hs support
il Blaine preferred not to run2 Could Blaine,
in that case. count on Platts obedience in any
deal he should undertaken
One word more. We say that Conkling is out
of politics, but why is he getting rch7 Why is
he toiling hard to earn big feesl Conkliug is not
an avarcious man, and he is not amusing him.
self with his income. He is living plain, alb
laborious life. making 81. 000, 900 very
fast What, then, is the object of this industry
Tor wealth. One reply is that Conkling sees the
of .'barl," and is filing one for
service in the future.
Idle speculatiens and gossip, do you say? Per-
haps. But remember the proverb: Common
And, look at him from any point of view you
choose, Roscoe Conklng is a great man.
General Sparks Title
Baltimore Americans Washington Letter.
Since saGeneraiT Sharks has come onca mora